Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

2018 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium

17-19 October  2018. Des Moines, Iowa. USA. The theme of the 2018 Borlaug Dialogue, Rise to the Challenge, explored the massive effort to feed 9.5 billion people expected by 2050. Failing to meet this challenge will impact the entire world population, not just the hungry.

The ability to access adequate nutrition is as much as stake as the ability to access an adequate amount of calories. Rising poverty coupled with deepening health and disease concerns could devastate our world as a whole. Unsustainable farming practices threaten our environment with increased pollution, resource depletion, and loss of biodiversity. The risk of conflict powered by hunger and resource scarcity skyrockets.

Debates (extract)

Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation
  • Jennifer Blanke—Vice President of Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, African Development Bank
  • Lawrence Kent—Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Nteranya Sanginga (see picture)—Director General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
  • Roy Steiner—Managing Director, Rockefeller Foundation

Take it to the Agripreneur: Financial Institutions and Capital Investment in Agriculture
  • Geoff Andersen—Director, Regional Ag Strategic Planning, John Deere Africa
  • B.J. Marttin—Member of the Managing Board, Rabobank Group
  • Hon. Prof. Ruth Oniang'o (see picture)—Chair of the Board, Sasakawa Africa Foundation
  • Simon Winter—Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture


Startups: The Next Crop of Agribusiness Leaders

CRISPR: Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities
  • Louise Fresco—Member of the WFP Council of Advisors & President of Wageningen University & Research
  • Greg Jaffe—Biotechnology Project Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
  • Daniel Voytas—Chief Science Officer, Calyxt & Professor, University of Minnesota
  • Ren Wang—Special Advisor to the President, Beijing Genomics Institute

The Fall Armyworm: Advancing Threat to Global Food Security
  • Rob Bertram—Chief Scientist, USAID - Bureau for Food Security
  • Dr. Eluid Kireger—Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization
  • Martin Kropff—Director General, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico)
  • Mandefro Nigussie—Director General, Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture
  • Pedro Sanchez—2002 Laureate

Leading Women in Food and Agricultural Research
  • Kathryn Boor—The Ronald P. Lynch Dean College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
  • Helene Dillard—Dean, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences – University of California, Davis
  • Kathryn VandenBosch—Dean & Director, University of Wisconsin – Madison, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Wendy Wintersteen—Member of the WFP Council of Advisors & President, Iowa State University


World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony



Side events 16 October
Side events 17 October
  • H.E. Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina (Keynote Speaker) - 2017 World Food Prize Laureate
  • Hon. Prof. Ruth K Oniang'o - Chair of the Board, Sasakawa Africa Foundation
  • Hon. Prof Yaye Kène Gassama - National Academy of Sciences, Senegal
  • Dr. Dianah R. Ngonyama (see picture) - President of the Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD)
  • Mark Edge - Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer CropScience Co.
  • Dr. Ed Mabaya - African Development Bank, Manager - Agribusiness Development Division, Agriculture & Agro-industry Department
Side events 18 October

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